TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Got A Rotten Neighbor? Take Your Feud Online

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

Published: July 5, 2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio - COLUMBUS, Ohio - Just outside his sealed bedroom window, beyond the chain-link fence that surrounds his next-door neighbor's yard, sit the reasons David Adams says he can't sleep: two bushy-tailed dogs that bark and howl all night.

The Magnolia, Miss., resident plugged up his ears and even took his neighbor to court alleging a noise violation. But the barking went on. Finally he discovered a Web site seemingly tailor-made for such suburban woes: www.RottenNeighbor.com.

"Nothing seemed to work. I couldn't get any help from the city," Adams said. "So I figured, let's try public humiliation."

He posted a video of the troublesome pooches on the site, and other users chimed in on his plight. Some offered sympathy and methods of silencing the dogs. Others berated him for blaming the animals.

The site founded last July is part online therapy, part trashy paperback novel. It singles out neighbors for offenses ranging from shoddy lawn upkeep ("They have garbage all through their yard") to alleged violence ("He has tried to run us down with his push lawn mower").

"It's kind of like watching a train wreck," admits 51-year-old Maegan Polak, of Flossmoor, Ill. "You know you shouldn't be enjoying it, but you are."

Users are invited to post advice on dealing with neighbors who fight and yell, who let their animals defecate on others' property, who neglect their septic tanks - even those who cook foul-smelling food.

The site shows how neighborhoods are changing, said Polak, a figure skating instructor who visits RottenNeighbor.com occasionally.

"Most people don't go knocking on the doors of future neighbors like they used to," she said. "We always knew who was moving in and how many kids they had, all that stuff. People were a little more outgoing. Now they just don't seem to care."

Using Google Maps, the site zooms in on homes of the accused, represented by structures colored red (for the rotten) and green (for the good) that resemble pieces of a Monopoly board game.

Type in Columbus, Ohio, for instance, and the site brings up a bird's-eye view of the city. Click on one of the houses to see comments from agitated residents, like this one from Runaway Bay Drive complaining about a neighbor who "stomps around at all hours of the day."

"He puts his cigarette butts and packages on my patio," the anonymous user writes without posting the address of the man in question. "He also puts his beer cans and spills beer all over my grill."

Most of the postings are anonymous, which is just fine with site co-founder Brant Walker, 27, who came up with the idea when he moved into a new apartment and noticed a rotten smell coming from his neighbor's door.

Walker, a Web site designer from San Diego, said the site averages several hundred thousand hits per day. He said it is a good resource for people moving to a new neighborhood, because it offers a glimpse behind closed doors - "things that a real estate agent won't tell you."

But he admits the site was forced to add a "flag for removal" option after people complained that they were unfairly targeted as bad neighbors. If a post gets flagged a certain number of times, it is now removed.
Polak believes the online chatter sometimes veers out of control, and she once posted a comment suggesting the site hire a moderator. Someone erased her remark.

The relative freedom of anonymity presents dangers, including a lack of accountability, said Mary Madden, a senior research specialist at the Pew Internet & American Life Project who studies privacy issues.

"It can embolden some users to post negative or inflammatory comments that may be true. But it can also inspire others who might be trying to sell their house or increase their property value to post positive reviews," Madden said.

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

The Rotten

•Lawn mower trouble in Columbus, Ohio: "He has tried to run us down with his push lawn mower; he also tells other people how they should mow their lawns."

• "Tone-deaf saxophone player" in Maplewood, N.J.: "Blasts his horrible music out the window - practices incessantly but never improves."

•"Amazon Jungle of Weeds" in Hayward, Calif.: "The weeds are 6 feet tall and the house looks like an old barn."

• "Crappy neighbors" in Pawtucket, R.I.: "They have vehicles that could never pass inspection and they like to rev their engine, filling the surrounding houses with exhaust fumes."

The Good

• "Nice Young Couple" in Durham, N.C.: "Nice young couple with a pleasant, quiet dog. Always say hi, and I noticed lately they've been watering plants to help keep them going despite the dry, hot weather."

• "Sweet Lady, Thoughtful Son" in Reno, Nev.: "You couldn't ask for nicer neighbors. She is super sweet and her son always offers to help when we're in a bind."

•"Great hippie" in Willoughby, Ohio: "Wonderful hippie-type neighbor. Always willing to help those in need."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT